09/10/2015 Venerable Moses the Black

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all are having a wonderful day. We have had a fun-filled and busy day. 🙂

Today we remember Venerable Moses the Black. He was called “the Black” because he was Ethiopian. He was a slave when he was younger until he committed a murder, then his master banished him. He then joined a band of robbers and soon became their leader. Sometime later he repented of all of his misdoings and moved into a desert monastery. One night, the same band of robbers he was previously a part of invaded the monastery. Saint Moses, still having all of his strength, was able to capture the robbers before anyone was hurt. The robbers realizing their leader had become a monastic and joined him out of their deep respect for him. He later was ordained a deacon. Later on in his life he was granted the vision of an invasion of the monastery. He warned the other monks to leave, but he stayed behind and accepted this as the end of his earthly life.

You abandoned the Egypt of the passions, O Father, ascending the mount of the virtues with fervent faith. Taking the Cross of Christ upon your shoulders, and being glorified in godly works, you proved to be a model for monastics, O summit of the fathers. Pray unceasingly with them that our souls may find mercy!

For our “Circle Time” this week, we are using:

• The Thursday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• The Fruit of the Spirit
• I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas
• ROY G. BIV – color song

For our “Main Lesson” we worked on our unit study of the fruits of the spirit. Today we talked about the third fruit of the spirit, peace. I had Theia color a bird coloring sheet and then glue buttons on the flowers in the picture. We talked about things that make us feel peaceful and not to worry about anything, but to trust God. We reviewed the scripture verse Matthew 6:34.

For our “Science/Nature” time we talked about plants and how they are living too, just like animals. We did a work page out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find all of the living things.

For our number study, we worked on the number “2” again. We practiced tracing the number 2 and did a page out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find the items that were grouped into two.

For our “Structured Play Time” we did some baking. We made some blueberry bread using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free baking mix.

We also went to the park today:

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 1 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That is the end of our day and our week. I will be back on Monday. I hope you all have a great weekend!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/09/2015 Venerable Pimen the Great

Hello Everyone,

We had a very busy day today. We spent a long time out at the park, which was nice because the weather was nice outside this morning – not too hot, but it threw our school schedule off a bit since we usually do school first thing in the morning. I can’t wait for cooler weather so we can go outside later in the day.

Today we remember St. Pimen. He joined a monastery with his two brothers, Anoub and Paisus. When their mother came to visit them, they asked of her to wait to see them until the coming life with Christ, and to please allow them to pray for her instead. Pimen became known as a great instructor among the other monks and the governor requested to have a visit with him. He refused the visit to avoid any fame. He wished to remain hidden and humble. He was a great spiritual guide to many monks. One of the lessons he taught was to, “Fear God, Pray Often, and Do Good to Your Neighbor”.

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! Our Father Pimen, pray to Christ God to save our souls! Troparian, Tone 8

For our “Circle Time” this week, we are using:

• The Wednesday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• The Fruit of the Spirit
• I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas
• ROY G. BIV – color song

For our “Main Lesson” we worked on our unit study of the fruits of the spirit. Today we talked about the second fruit of the spirit, joy. We did a cute project – I had Theia glue pom poms on the word “JOY”. We talked about things that make us joyful and the scripture verse Phillipians 4:4.

For our “Play Time” we worked on a maze out of our Brain Quest workbook:

We worked on the letter “C” today. We did an activity out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find all of the big “C’s” and little “c’s” and color them in. We also did a work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook where she practiced tracing the letter.

For our “Art” lesson we made some cute little octopuses out of pipe cleaners:

That was the end of our school day. I will let you all know what we do tomorrow.

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/08/2015 The Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. Ours was very long one! We had a baptism that we attended on Saturday. That was a very beautiful and special service to be a part of. Sunday, we had Liturgy, then in the evening we went to the “Labor Day Lift Off” balloon glow at Memorial Park here in Colorado Springs. Monday we just stayed home and did some house projects because Theia was a little under the weather.

Today we remember the Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia, the married saints. They were only married one year before St Adrian’s martyrdom. They lived in Nicomedia under the rule of Maximian. Some of Maximian’s soldiers had captured 23 Christians and brought them to the Praetorium for torture and their martyrdom. Adrian, who was the head of the Praetorium, added himself to the list of Christians after witnessing the steadfastness of the martyrs. His wife, Natalia rejoiced when she heard about this because she was a secret Christian. She encouraged her husband during his martyrdom and she later died of her former suffering.

Your holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia, O Lord, through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God. For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. Through their intercessions, save our souls! Troparian, Tone 4

For our “Circle Time” this week, we are using:

• The Tuesday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• The Fruit of the Spirit
• I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas
• ROY G. BIV – color song

For our “Main Lesson” we started a unit on the study of the fruits of the spirit. Today we talked about the first fruit of the spirit, love. We did a cute project of a caterpillar with a tomato out of a paper bag. We talked about the verse John 15:12.

For “Our World” we talked about the sense of touch and what “soft” objects feel like. We did the work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook.

For our “Number” study we studied the number “2”. We did a work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook.

For our “Structured Play Time” we had fun learning how to do Hopscotch!

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 4 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That was the end of our day! I will let you all know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/03/2015 The Holy Apostle Thaddeus

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all well. We are having a busy day here today, but I will take a quick break here to tell you about what we did for school today.

Today we commemorate the Holy Apostle Thaddeus, one of the 70 Apostles. The Lord sent him to Edessa to do his ministry. Edessa was his birthplace and it is also where he had previously gone to take the Holy Napkin to Prince Avgar. When Avgar kissed the Holy Napkin, he was healed from his leprosy, save for one spot on his face.

The Lord sent Thaddeus back to Avgar to baptize him and to minister to the people there. Once Avgar was baptized the rest of his leprosy was healed, and shortly thereafter, all of Edessa was converted. Thaddeus also preached in Syria and Phoenicia. He reposed in Beirut.

O holy Apostle Thaddeus, witness of God, Who appeared in the flesh for our sake, You brought the light of saving grace to those in darkness and were revealed as an excellent physician to those in Edessa. Wherefore shelter those who fervently seek you.

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Thursday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• 5 Little Monkeys
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We reviewed all of the days, what we remember each day, and how the Church is our guide for the whole week.

For our “Our World” Lesson we worked on a page out of our Brain Quest workbook. Theia had to match the objects that belong on the dining room table and draw a line to their proper place, and do the same for objects in the kitchen.

For our “Number” study, we went over the number “1”, We did a work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook.

For our “Structured Play Time” we did some baking. I had planned to have Theia help me bake some bread, but I am making a cake for a baptism over the weekend, so it turned into baking cakes.

Lastly, we had “Art”. This was actually rather frustrating. We had scheduled a “Tie Dye in the Park” with some other homeschoolers. Apparently, the event was cancelled without me knowing. So, we went to the park and there was no one there. Then, I decided to go to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies so we could do the Tie Dye at home, but Hobby Lobby doesn’t sell plain white toddler T-Shirts. They have 0 Months – 2T, then it jumps into youth sizes. 😦 So, we didn’t get to do our Tie Dye, but we did at least play at the park while we were there.

Well, I hope you all have a nice weekend. I will be posting again on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday – yay!).

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

08/31/2015 Saint John of Rila

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend. We enjoyed our visit to Dormition Skete in Buena Vista and had a very busy weekend after that! 🙂

Today we remember Saint John of Rila. He is a very special saint to those in Bulgaria as he was a spiritual ascetic in Bulgaria. He was orphaned when he was very young and went to work as a cowherd to provide for himself. One day he lost a cow and her calf. His master became very angry with him, beat him, and told him to go find the pair. He did find them, but they were across a raging river. He was able to retrieve them by saying a prayer, throwing his coat on top of the river, and walking across it. It is unknown at what point in his life he was tonsured a monk, but he did flee into the wilderness and lived in a cave for 12 years. After that, he began living in the hollow of a tree. Aside from the grasses around him, he survived by eating beans that God allowed to grow right next to his home. The more people learned of him and his miracles, the more they came to visit him. Trying to flee celebrity, he moved into the mountains once more and spent the remaining time of his life in a cave.

Your life was a foundation of repentance and a model of compunction, an image of consolation and spiritual perfection, equal to the angels, O venerable one. You persevered in prayer, fasting, and tears, O Father John; intercede with Christ God for our souls. – Troparion, Tone 1

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Monday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• 5 Little Monkeys
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Thursday today, and how we remember two things on Thursdays. We remember the 12 Holy Apostles and Saint Nicolas. We talked about who the Apostles were, that they were Jesus’ followers, and how they preached and spread Christ’s teachings around the world. Then we talked about Saint Nicholas and how he loves children very much and is a special Saint for children to pray to. He is the real “Santa Claus”.

For our “Our World” lesson we did a work page out of the Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook about different types of food. We talked about healthy foods and foods that are special treats. Then I had Theia play with her food cutting kit and she served us all up some healthy veggies, fruit, and bread.

For our “Letter” study, we traced the big “B” and the little “b” on a work page out of our Brain Quest workbook.

Next, we had “Structured Play Time” where we worked on puzzles.

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 1 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That was the end of our day! I will let you all know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

08/27/2015 The Forefeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a nice day. Today was our last day of school for the week. We finished the first week! Yay!

Today is the Forefeast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. We are coming to the end of the Dormition Fast, and tomorrow is the Feast of the Dormition. We will be going to visit the monastery in Buena Vista tomorrow for the Feast Day – it is the Feast Day of Dormition Skete!

The Theotokos was visited by the Archangel Gabriel three days before her repose. He reveled to her that she would pass in three days time. All of the Apostles came to her bedside, from wherever they were in the world, by way of clouds, so they could be with her when she reposed. The Apostle Thomas was late, and when he came to say his goodbye, thats when it was revealed that she was translated into heaven. The Troparion of the Forefeast brings us together on this day in gladness. The Theotokos is about to depart from earth to heaven.

Dance with joy, O peoples! Clap your hands with gladness! Gather today with fervor and jubilation; sing with exultation. The Mother of God is about to rise in glory, ascending from earth to heaven. We ceaselessly praise her in song as truly Theotokos. -Troparion, Tone 4

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Angels (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• My Cross (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• I am a Little Toad
• 6 Little Ducks

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Wednesday today, and how the cross is celebrated on Wednesdays. Also, how Wednesdays are fast days. We talked about the cross and all that it symbolizes. It can be a sad thing to remember, because it was the tool used to kill our Lord Jesus Christ, but it is also a symbol of victory over death. Christ rose from the dead! We talked about how St. Helen was able to find the true cross of Christ. I let Theia decorate her Wednesday page however she wanted. So, she chose to color it pink and then glued on sequins.

For our “Our World” lesson, we did a work page out of the Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook about what objects in the house belong in which room of the home. For example, in what room would you find a bed?

Then, for our “Number” study, we reviewed the number Zero and did a work page on “0” out of our Brain Quest workbook.

For our “Structured Play Time” we had a pretend picnic on the living room floor – complete with watermelon, chocolate milk, sandwiches, carrot sticks, and cake for dessert. Some of our favorite stuffed animals joined us!

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 8 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That was the end of our week! I hope you all have a great weekend – we will be back on  Monday.

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

08/24/15 Holy Martyr Euplus

Hello Everyone!

So, today was the first day of school! Everything went really well and hopefully we will all get used to the new schedule soon.

Today we commemorate the Holy Martyr Euplus. We had fun reading about his life because he was a deacon (just like daddy, as Theia said) and he was from Sicily (just like Nana’s family)! He was martyred after he was discovered preaching and reading the Gospel in secret to some hidden Christians who were being persecuted by Emperor Diocletian.

As a holy deacon and righteous minister of the Church of Christ, you contended superbly. You sailed over the sea of many torments and afflictions, O all blessed Euplus. Guide us into the haven of heaven. Troparion, Tone 4

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Angels (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• My Cross (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• I am a Little Toad
• 6 Little Ducks

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about the days of the week and how there are seven, just like how God created the world in seven days. Then we focused on Sunday, the day of Liturgy and Communion, and the day that God rested during his Creation.

We also worked on our “Our World” study and talked about all the different rooms in our home and what each room is used for. Then Theia did her activity page out of the BrainQuest book and drew what her favorite thing to do at home is.

Next we worked on our Letter “A”. Theia practiced the sound that “A” makes, then she practiced tracing the big letter “A” and the little letter “a” from the work pages in her Get Ready For Kindergarten book. Next she made the big letter “A” out of play dough.

Then, we had our structured play time and Theia and Apfeya got to play dress-up. They had a lot of fun – did you know that Elsa has a horse named Lucky who she loves to ride? 😀

The last thing that we did was Art. Today we made some pigs out of doilies. This was really cute and fun!

When their daddy gets home Theia will do her “Share with Daddy Time” and he will work on their Slow and Steady Get Me Ready Activities.

I will let you know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

Beginning the 2015/2016 School Year

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are ready to get back into school. We are starting our school year this Monday, August 24th. Before I start posting our daily activities, I wanted to take the time to share with you the materials that I will be using this year as well as what our schedule is going to be.

There will be quite an interruption for our schooling at the end of October/ beginning of November, when our new little girl arrives. I will be doing my best to keep up with Theia’s pre-schooling, but there will most likely be a couple weeks where we have to take a break.

So, we are working on a pre-school curriculum and will be getting a little more involved in learning our alphabet, numbers and counting, and science. We will be continuing to use the Garden of the Theotokos for our main lessons, and will also be studying our Saint’s Lives.

The main materials I am using:

• The Children’s Garden of the Theotokos
• Get Ready For Kindergarten
• Pre-K Brain Quest Workbook
• Slow and Steady Get Me Ready

I am also using this Lesson Plan and Record Book to keep everything organized.

This is the weekly schedule we will be using:

Here is my actual lesson plan for the first week of school, August 24-27, as well as the Troparion for the Saint we are learning about that day. I abbreviated the titles of the books in my lesson plan – if you have any questions feel free to message me!

You can also find the Troparions and Kontakions for the day by visiting: http://oca.org/saints/lives – just keep in mind this website is on the New Calendar and I am using the Old Calendar.

Here are some pictures from our summer for you to enjoy:

Well, I will be making my post on Monday to let you know how our first day went!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake